So I love the way the car in this video sounds...my 289 Falcon is almost ready for the exhaust system. I’ve got Dougs 660 headers 1 5/8 primary’s...I’m going 2.5 exhaust...I could also go 3”..but I think that might be too much for a SBF. Motor is as follows: 289 Trickflow CNC ported heads Custom ground cam with power ratio from 1800-6500 RPM 1.6 ratio rockers Edelbrock performance RPM manifold Holley 625 CFM carb 11:1 compression ratio Dougs 1 5/8 Headers I’m sold on the powerstick mufflers..did not want to run Flowmaster like 95% of the SBF’s out there.. I love the sound of this car My question is benefit and need for H pipe or X pipe...what are some of you folks running? I was honestly thinking true duels , friends have talked me outta dumping them at the axle, but I will not run a chrome tailpipe...have some turndowns I’ll run instead.. Some have said true duals hurt performance..I’m not looking to win a Wally..it’s a street car I want to have some fun with..
If you're like me..........and like the sound of a snotty/choppy SBF at idle..DO NOT use an X pipe or an H-pipe. Neither really boost HP until you are at the top of your RPM range and then maybe 5 HP (if that). They both tend to smooth out the sound and give it more of a Formulas one sound IMHO. The only benefit I know of to run an X or H is that it stabilize the mufflers and exhaust pipes between hangers. Trust me......I had'em and took them off. I paid too much for that custom ground camshaft to have it smoooooothed out to sound like a Honda. 6sally6
all rides will sound different even if using same mufflers due to multiple variables - do not run 3" tubes on your set up 2.25 or 2.5 plenty - X/H pipe help to equalize exhaust gasses - X a little better performance and give a little crisper sound - as an idea, run pipes to rear of ride and form about about a 45 degree turn down - not 90 degree - do not need to use chrome tips
Kinda useful, but be wary. All these chart things relate to WOT. Not really helpful for driving around town and part throttle use. Drain pipes might be good on the dyno at WOT, but kill the engine and ruin the enjoyment when just tooling around and you want to give it a squirt at the lights or passing.
My old street rod Morris Minor had a 5.0 with a big Comp hydraulic roller cam and 1 5/8 tube fenderwell headers dumping out to 3 inch pipes running down both sides with Speedway Auger mufflers tacked inside. it sounded like an old Shelby Cobra with side exhaust. I don't have a video of the car running but I would go to cruise ins and it would get nothing but comments on how good it sounded.
Yep..met the owner and he handed me the mufflers at Bakers... Mutley has em in his comet and that Falcon in the video has em and sounds killer..I just couldn’t do the Flowmaster deal..bought Dynomax race bullets...think those were too much..sending them back..the powersticks seem like a good alternative
The Engine Masters show on Motortrend on Demand tested straight pipes against h pipes and x pipes, same motor and mufflers. The h pipe made less than 5 ft/lb of torque more and 1.5 hp less than the straight pipes with all the gains below about 5500. The x pipe was almost identical to the h pipe but was quieter at idle. Test was done on a 350 hp 5.3 LS with 1 3/4 inch long tube headers and 2 1/2 inch pipes with Gibson mufflers.
WHaaaaaaaaaaaT! A small block Ford has the most beautiful sound when it is "on song!" [something Chevy's couldn't get until the LS series, which has the same 351w firing order] I'd rather hear an engine higher up in the rpm's than a cammed engine idling [2500 rpm+] The benefit of X or H pipes is it equalizes exhaust pressure caused by 2 cylinders firing unevenly on the same side [a problem with 90 deg cranks] The increase in flow/pressure allows one pipe to equalize with the opposite pipe instead of being restricted It is worth some horsepower The best system for a Ford is a 4 into 2 into 1 big bore [ that circuit/road racers prefer ] Here's 2 mustangs taken from inside the car [the red '69 is my brother in law]
I'm running "true duels" on my truck. I'm like you, I don't give a hang about balanced pressure. I'm just trying to get to the cruise in or grab a burger. I see that stuff on all the custom car programs on tv, they all have some kind of cross pipe. As far as chrome tips, just go with the aluminized steel. As long as you keep it clean on the end it has a great light gray look to it, It's been on my exhaust for twenty-five years and it cleans up just like new with a little soft scrub if it gets dirty with road grime. I love the Futura 289. They were real bad ass when I was in high school back in the sixties. In the drag world back then they made gasser's out of them with Hilborn injector stacks sticking out of the hood off some big block. Max cool.
My 2c, don't use a 3" pipe. Over kill for your engine and much harder to fit on the car, ask me how I know.
I have Powersticks behind the 302 in my Shoebox. I like them. Bark like mad under accelleration but mellows out when not under load and chops pretty good at idle.
Yeah I wanted a good old sound..when I hear flowmasters...especially on a SBF I think hair metal and mullets...
Porters....I love em...on a stock to mild motor...and on a Kustom...I don’t think Porter when I think street/strip Had em on my F100 and 61 Sunliner.. I’m only running the mufflers...all pipe and no resonators
Yep on a street motor I'd run 2-1/4 or no bigger than 2-1/2. Unless your running WOT every where you drive. No cross over of any kind as it will smooth the idle and lower rpm tone. Did one on a mean 455 pontiac I built, sounded wicked, an hour in a muffler getting an x pipe it came out sounding almost stock.
@loveoftiki, I am working on exhaust on my '60 Falcon and came across your thread. The car came with the small Flowmaster Super 10 mufflers that were attached right at the end of the headers and under the front floors. I might as well be running open headers...sounds really harsh, and certainly not street legal. I added about four feet of pipe and moved the mufflers to just in front of the rear axle with turn downs. They sound just as bad as before with no appreciable reduction in noise - and I do mean noise. I have never owned a Flowmaster muffler up to this point in my life and I can't say that I am impressed - at least with these little Super 10's. I am thinking about the power sticks with tail pipes, similar to the Falcon in the video. I like the sound and I can really appreciate the size envelope on these mufflers. As you know, everything is cramped on a Falcon and these will fit well. What size are you going with? - Shorts, Mediums, or Longs? I'm thinking the Mediums or Longs. would be the way to go, just not sure what the sound difference would be between the two. I looked on YouTube and saw the Falcon video above and they said they were using the 26" long (long) mufflers.
I've done a lot of exhaust systems over the years from Vegas, Pintos and 240Zs to street driven blown door slammers and Talbot-Lagos. I've only used an H or X pipe in an attempt to improve the sound of the straight duals on certain cars. I've always avoided Flowmasters (they sound like trash cans unless you put resonators downstream) and I've always kept the pipe diameter within reason for the engine size/hp. It sounds like you are on a good course now. Get it done and post a video!
Use Dynomax Super Turbo mufflers.. The 17749 muffle is my favorite... They sound quiet at first but come to life after a few thousand miles and really sound nice... H pipes are ok but X pipes make a V-8 sound like a V-6 to me.. I don't see anything good about having all that extra heat right under the transmission..
Those Power Sticks sound a lot better than Flow Masters. good on you for NOT going with them, but still not a great sound. Kinda loud. My preference would be turbo mufflers, 2 1/2" inlet & outlet. Best sound yet for something like that Falcon
The guys here have it pretty well covered. For reference, Fox and SN95 mustangs use an H/X pipe, which sound-wise takes any crackle out of the sound and gives it a more even "whoosh" sound. Very distinctive to those cars IMHO. And while I think it sounds cool on a Mustang (I had a '98 years ago that I loved), it's not a sound I'd want on a classic.
I listened to the Falcon in the video, it sounds good but I feel it is too loud for my taste. I would think the sound would be aggravating at Hiway speed for any period of time. I have always been a fan of real turbo mufflers, (from a Corvair turbo) the problem is that now every short oval muffler is a “turbo”, and they are not stainless steel. For the Comet I wanted a stainless system, with oval mufflers. I sourced out a pair of Vibrant brand mufflers that were the same size as the Corvair mufflers, I also used 2 1/2” stainless tubing, some mandrel bends, a few flanges, and a pair of Vibrant resonators. No X pipe or equalizer, the tubing ends just behind the rear wheels because I prefer that location compared to bringing them out to the rear bumper. The system sounds good, deeps and powerful, it does not drone at Hiway speeds, and does not sound like a school bus. (Raspy, hollow,) The engine has a healthy roller cam and the system compliments it. Jim
That is a work of art!^^^^^ Beautiful craftsmanship... I prefer the tail pipes behind the rear wheels myself. I have a 69 el Camino but can't find the right,"behind the wheels" pipes..
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